The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has revised its guidance on the use of marketing terms, such as ‘fresh’, ‘pure’ and ‘natural’ for food labelling. Such claims are widely used in advertising and on packaging to promote the benefits of products but concerns have been raised as to what the labels really mean. The Agency consulted more than 1200 stakeholder organisations about the labelling guidance that it issued in 2002 and their revised guidance includes advice on... ...Read more »

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has called for stronger partnerships between Government and the food services industry to help enable consumers to make healthier choices when eating out of the home. A report published yesterday by the Cabinet Office’s Strategy Unit, ‘Food Matters - Towards a Strategy for the 21st Century’, sets out Government aims to better integrate the different elements of the food system and its impact economically, socially and environmentally;... ...Read more »

Fraudulent activity has been discovered in the UK which could be leading to the sale of unsafe food. The Food Standards Agency and police are warning food companies to be on the alert to a fraud, which involves identity theft, that may have affected a number of food businesses across the country. The fraudsters are alleged to have targeted small legitimate wholesale food businesses that supply meat, seafood and fruit and vegetables. The alleged offenders work by acquiring authentic letter heads of... ...Read more »

The Food Standards Agency has published a survey of more than 2,000 people across the UK that provides a snapshot of what consumers want when they eat out. The findings show that 85% of people agreed with the statement that restaurants, pubs and cafes have a responsibility to make it clear what is in the food they serve. In addition, when asked where respondents would expect to see nutritional information for it to be most useful, 81% of people said they would like to see it at the point... ...Read more »